Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-03-16
CHAPTER VII.

It is midnight. Twelve hours have
been chimed by some great clock mile
away, the strokes falling solemnly on the
still air of the summer night. Traffic
has ceased, and only the sound of an oc-
casional carriage may be heard, the red
lights from its lamps flaming upward
and sometimes casting a lurid shadow
upon the bed where Millicent lies sleep
ing.
The girl had appeared little tired, q
little ennuyee for the last day or two, and
Mrs. Brand had decided upon her refus-
ing any invitation for this one night ut
least She should 60 to bed early, so
would Mrs. Brand-the whole household,
indeed, should retire at an abnormally
early hour, and Grant,, who was &C
quainted with all these circumstances
and arrangements, was forbidden to call
after six o'clock.
Boom boom boom goes the big
clock somewhere. Milicent, as though
disturbed by it, turns uneasily in her bed,
and, as growing consciousness gains on
her, sighs deeply. Alas! there are many
reasons why she, the petted debutante OF
the year, should sigh profoundly. Her
body, indeed, is we'll (this seems rather a
grievance than otherwise), but her heart
is sick and sore within her. Oh! the
horror Of having to marry Grant, while
her affection is all concentrated on
another! And yet, to lose her inherit
ance! To q girl trained as she has been
as hundreds of others are trained
such q consideration is paramount. To
be cast from her throne, to be discarded
by her world, to sink from comparative
supremacy to q sure mediocrity!- that
lies the sting.
II only the matter could be altered,
and arranged for her on lines according
to her own liking! She had thought Of
appealing to her aunt-had even limited
to her that Boyle was not altogether so
dear to her as he should be. But Mrs.
Brand had pooh-poohed all such hints as
being mere girlish folly, and had told her
that in time she would find her cousin
was far above the average of the young
men shA met, and that they had good
reason to believe defunct title, that had
once belonged to branch Of their fam
lily. would be revived in his favor.
How quiet the night has grown! Even
in the heart of this surging London, it
seems as though time of rest can reign;
the stir, the roll of tho odd carriage or
two only enhances the extreme deadness
of the calm. Millicent turns wearily upon
her pillow, and tries with passionate
anxiety to forget her woes in sleep. In
vain she courts the wished for slumber;
in vain she seeks to kill her cruel
thoughts. Still they remain with her,
growing ever moro persistent rs wake
fulness grows upon her. Impatient, and
angry with herself, and finding the night
insuffcrcbly warm, she half pushes the
bedclothcs from her, with tho intention
of rising crd flinging wide her window,
when slight noise in the adjoining room
arrests her attention.
Is it a footstep? or one Of those strange
sounds that break the stiffness of the
night:-ghostly sounds that we ell know,
coming from nowhere apparently, yet
loud enough to make the pulses beat and
suggest covering Of tho head with the
friendly bedclothcs.
Millicent, wide awake now, but uncer-
tain, listens intc1tly. She has indeed
drawn back her foot into the shelter of
the bed, but otherwise has shown no
fear. Is it step? 1t hes stopped now.
After ell, it might have bcea aunt:o
coming for her cologne water, or one of
the maids for the neuralgia cnre that lies
on the mantclpiece in her boudoir. In
spite of these consolatory reflections,
however, she cannot conceal from her.
self that she is growing frightened, and
is rcgrctting with ever increasing earn
cstness the fact that she is sleeping
alone, in corridor cut off from the rest
Of the house.
Pshaw! after all, it was nothing-a
silly scare. Silence once more reigns su.
preme. Not even the indomitable mouse
is to be heard. No scratchings, no
squeaks anywhere. Not even u
Good heavens! what was that? That
horrible stealing sound in the room be-
yond. 1t is coming nearer and nearer!
OF that some horrible inner sense as.
sures her, though now she can hear moth
ing. Oh, how the minutes drag! The
knowledge that even if she screamed
until life left her she could not be heard
by any one member of the household
adds ten thousand tcrrors to her already
miserable situation.
All, there! There it is 'again-that
stealthy footstep; moro distinct now
more real. All in one moment every
shuddering recollection Of people muir
dcred, every CHASTITY detail that she has
ever read or heard, rccurs to her, and
makes the blood freeze within her veins.
Soon, perhaps, that blood will be frozen
cternally.
And now maddening regret occurs to
her. The bell! why had she not thought
of that sooner? TO cross the room, to
pull violently at it-even if her effort
fnIa @<> I>,,~ 80 {hn
most likely thing, as all the servants
sleep ut the very top of the house)-at
least she might have alarmed this mid
night assassin, and sent him flying from
the scene of his unlawful labors. But
now! Is it too late yet?
Almost paralyzed by fear as she is, she
rises cautiously upon her elbow, and is
just about to make O rush for the bell,